Extending vRops with IBM storage array metrics

During a recent project, we needed to deal with the vast requirement to create a monitoring tooling platform that allowed for extensive monitoring of the entire virtual infrastructure and its related components. All while aiming for a single pane of glass approach. VMware vRealize Operations (vRops) is a perfect solution to facilitate in these areas to meet the requirements.

In this specific case, we needed the storage backend metrics to be listed in vRops. Obviously, you’ll have several datastore metrics to your exposal by default when using the default vRops metric sources. However, the storage backend was used for other systems next to the VMware environment as well. That was one of multiple reasons why we were required to include the metrics directly from the storage arrays. That way the ops team is able to investigate both the storage backend systems from a VMware and external workload perspective.

IBM V7000 arrays were being used. Now, to integrate a external component like storage arrays directly with vRops, you should first have a look at marketplace.vmware.com. Be sure to filter for vRops content management packs. As you can see, a lot of additional packs are available to gain even more insight in your infrastructure!

For vRops to be able to ingest IBM V7000 metrics, we firstly needed the storage array metrics to be consolidated in a piece of software called IBM Spectrum. The important part is that you can use the free license of the Spectrum software to be able to use the metrics in vRops.

Steps

First you’ll need to deploy IBM Spectrum and include the IBM V7000 storage arrays to it.

Next, you can configure the VMware vRops server in the IBM Spectrum tooling. That allows you to create and download the PAK file:

Now it’s time to load the PAK file into your vRops environment by choosing for ‘Add Solution’:

We’ve successfully created a new solution within vRops. We can now go ahead and connect IBM V7000 arrays to vRops by configuring the IBM Spectrum install-base.You’re all set! We can now create dashboards that include the performance and capacity metrics from the IBM V7000 arrays:

This was just a quick write-up how to include IBM storage backend metrics in vRops. As you can see in the screenshot above, it will also allow you to include A9000 and other IBM component metrics. As long its supported in IBM Spectrum, you can include it in vRops which is a beautiful thing. The customer is enjoying their vRops environment to the fullest knowing that they monitoring both the VMware and hardware components and constructs.